Review: ‘Westworld’ hangs out at headquarters in ‘The Adversary’

A review of tonight's Westworld coming up just as soon as I imagine I'm an evil genius hiding a relay…

“I'd like to make some changes.” -Maeve

There's a remarkable scene midway through “The Adversary” where we get to see Delos headquarters through the eyes of Maeve, who has convinced Felix to let her see more than just the lab. At first, it's a horror show like the visit where she first became aware that there was more to her life than the park, as she sees more bloody robot corpses being hosed off by bored workers. But the higher up she goes, the more the things she sees begin to seem like miracles: people and animals and other forms of life being created artificially, but in a way so that, like Maeve herself, they're indistinguishable from the “real” thing. Yet this, too, is a nightmare, because we know to what use Delos is putting these miracles. They can almost casually create life, but all for the purpose of giving Westworld's guests realistic targets to hurt or have sex with (or, in the case of the man whom Maeve talks into sending her to the lab in the opening sequence, both).

The contrast between the achievement and its application feels like a metaphor for the very Delos-centric “The Adversary” as a whole. Westworld has all these amazing tools – a huge budget, an absurdly stacked cast, subject matter that raises deep questions about the meaning of life itself – at its disposal, yet it's using a lot of them in service of prosaic storylines.

Does anyone, at this stage, care about tensions between the different divisions in charge of running the park? About why Theresa is performing industrial espionage on her own company? Or, for that matter, about the status or true nature of her relationship with Bernard? Was anyone shocked that something bad happened to Elsie while she was investigating in a remote and creepy section of the park without any backup? (That's the kind of lazy story 24 would do late in seasons to fill time and prevent characters from passing useful info to each other.)

There's some intrigue in the matter of Arnold reaching out from beyond the grave – or, perhaps, from the center of the maze, which legend (as related by Teddy to the Man in Black) has it lives a man who has died many times – to manipulate the hosts. But both that and whatever Ford's agenda is with the new storyline are more mystery boxes than they are compelling character stories. Ford's every utterance is cryptic and mannered, which hides his motivations, but in the interim makes me impatient for his scenes to end so we can get back to someone else – and he's played by Sir Anthony Hopkins!

Fortunately, a good chunk of the episode had Maeve taking control of her situation, manipulating and outright blackmailing Felix and Sylvester into doing her bidding, up to giving her a Limitless-style intelligence upgrade. The great irony of the show – whether intentional in a 2001 way or not – is that by far the most well-rounded and interesting characters are the machines, and seeing Maeve grapple with the realization that even her independent spirit is something programmed into her by “real” people offered Thandie Newton one of several moments to shine tonight. Another: Maeve watching the theme park's teaser trailer, seeing her “dreams” of a daughter and another life on the prairie literally flashing in front of her.

That this tremendous loss that she only half-remembers has been repurposed into an advertisement for the park is one of the quintessential tragedies of the series, and when Maeve was strutting around HQ, “The Adversary” came to life. A lot of the hour, though, was focused on people and storylines that still feel underfed, often involving actors who seem wildly overqualified for what they've been asked to do so far.

Some other thoughts:

* The majority of this week's park time involves Teddy and the Man in Black trying to get around a group of Union soldiers who stand between them and Wyatt. As with most of the scenes set in the wilds of the park, it looks stunning; Teddy using a Gatling gun to mow down the soldiers wouldn't be out of place in a classic widescreen movie Western.

* HBO's publicity materials have long listed Tessa Thompson as a Westworld cast regular, so it was strange to make it through the first five episodes with nary a glimpse of her. Here, she finally arrives in the form of Delos executive Charlotte Hale, to whom Sizemore blabbed way too much at the pool bar.

* The swankiness of the Mesa bar, and the desire of people (including staffers like Sizemore and Elsie) to hang out there rather than go into the park, reminds me of a Caribbean cruise I once took, where we met a pair of suburban Pittsburgh moms who never got off at any of the island stops, because they were just happy to have pretty pool they could relax by, thousands of miles away from their families. I can also imagine that being a place spouses and kids enjoy hanging out in while one member of the family is off enjoying their killing and/or raping fantasies.

FAN THEORY CORNER

With William and Dolores getting the week off, it's mostly quiet over here in Fan Theory Corner, with one exception. Several people have suggested William's scenes can't be in the past because the robots look indistinguishable from newer ones like Maeve and Teddy. But as we see when Bernard gets a look at Ford's robotic “family,” the major difference between the original hosts and the new ones is only apparent when you open them up.

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Excellent use of Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees”
Harkens back to a few episodes ago when they used “No Surprises”. Seems to be an OK Computer theme going on. Pretty sure I also heard “Motion Picture Soundtrack” when Maeve was being led through the lab, which contains the very appropriate lyric “I will see you in the next life”

By: Ian

11.07.2016 @ 3:53 AM

I’m digging their renditions of Radiohead. If you’re right about Motion Picture Soundtrack, then so far we’ve seen songs from three of their albums (OK Computer, The Bends, and Kid A.) It would kinda be way too on the nose, but I see them ending the season with “Paranoid Android.”

By: Arrow

11.07.2016 @ 5:04 PM

I confirm that it was Motion Picture Soundtrack playing. I almost sang-along to it.

By: papaj222

11.07.2016 @ 5:10 PM

Yep, that was Motion Picture Soundtrack. It’s from Vitamin String Quartet, who cover countless Radiohead tracks. VSQ also was in last weeks episode when they used the Nine Inch Nails cover.

By: Merkin

11.09.2016 @ 1:03 AM

So now we know androids do sleep and dream of electric sheep.

By: Robert

11.07.2016 @ 3:17 AM

When Bernard gets off the elevator on B82, we get a glimpse in the background of the original Man in Black, from the film, evidently in storage. Pretty nifty.

By: Matt

11.07.2016 @ 3:22 AM

You beat me to it! I just mentioned that and the use of music from the movie. Glad I wasn’t the only one to catch that!

By: Arben

11.07.2016 @ 7:48 AM

It’s a shame they didn’t make that level “B73”.

By: Jedyknight28

11.07.2016 @ 3:17 AM

About theories… we spent lots of time with Bernard this week and i’m still not 100% sure he’s a host, as the majority online thinks.

By: The Cisco Kid

11.07.2016 @ 6:43 AM

How can he be if he’s “been around forever”? The hosts can’t age. Ford and Bernard have both been witnessed aging. I wish these theories would die a natural death already.

By: Robert

11.07.2016 @ 3:21 AM

When Bernard gets off the elevator on B82, we get a glimpse of the original Man in Black, from the film, evidently in storage. Pretty nifty.

By: Matt

11.07.2016 @ 3:21 AM

At minute 9 when Jeffrey Wright’s lurking around, they used music/sound f/x from the WW movie… and there was a blurry b.g. cameo at 9:32 by Yul Brenner’s Man In Black, too.

By: Minion 1

11.08.2016 @ 12:14 AM

To Grifter ,i agree that people do come to this site to have their opinions validated and shared ,hopefully.
And a lot of them might expect a fair minded and intelligent reviewer to like the prog their commenting on if as in this case it is a thought provoking and well made show , then to find the reviewer of their choice ,downbeat and disparaging of their selected show cuold be disheartening ,like hoping a good friend would like something you did and being dissapionted to find they derided it, your hopes for shared enjoyment dashed.
So expressing his dismay is his way of dealing with it and he did not personally attack Alan but projected his anticipation if future rebuffs by said reviewer ,which dampened his enthusiasm ,hence the cold water statement, i am sure Jeff isnt overly downhearted at Alans less tgan enthusiastic apraisal but just mildly peed off after hoping for a more positive review.

By: jef

11.09.2016 @ 1:22 PM

Minion 1, yeah, “mildly peed off,” or I guess “mildly disappointed” is pretty much it. This is just not a show where I will seek Alan’s insight. (The Americans, on the other hand ….) Thank you for your supportive comment.

By: slardy1

11.07.2016 @ 3:23 AM

I care about Theresa’s espionage and her relationship with Bernard. It’s not exactly bringing me back each week but I care enough to not be bored. Your negativity is getting pretty tiresome. I will admit the tech going out alone and hanging up on bernard was pretty shit.

By: jef

11.07.2016 @ 11:54 AM

This was a great episode that revealed so much, yet this review threw a big pail of water on it. I come to Sepinwall’s reviews now pretty much expecting that when I love something, he won’t.

By: garyc

11.07.2016 @ 12:02 PM

I am interested in everything going on right now. And yes, the hosts are the most interesting characters; well Delores and Maeve anyway.

By: Grifter

11.07.2016 @ 3:57 PM

@Jef: So?

I don’t need a critics validation to justify my appreciation or love for any piece of entertainment. I don’t understand people that do.

When I check reviews, it’s usually to see what other people thought, and never has one made me appreciate something less or ruined my good mood. Yet more often than not (and despite agreeing or not) they’ve made me appreciate something far more or made me think of and see different sides, just by having a contrary opinion. That’s not a bad thing.

I see comments like yours in some shape or form all the time here. People getting upset and disappointed, complaining or whining, then going so far as to attack Alan because he just doesn’t like the same things as they do, or (this is the “best” one) he does but just not as enthusiastically…and somehow that affects them at a high level. Why? Are we not all adults here?

By: jef

11.07.2016 @ 4:47 PM

@Grifter, I read a review hoping to gain some insight. If a particular reviewer’s judgment or taste differs too much from my own, his/her insight is unlikely to resonate much with me (and yup, I might stop following that reviewer). I don’t know what you’re talking about with “somehow affects them at a high level.” My own comment is not meant to serve as a stand-in for all “comments like” mine. And yes, grifter, we are all adults here.

By: Rantong

11.07.2016 @ 7:37 PM

This is a trend, where people only want to consume media that reinforces their opinion rather than offers another’s perspective. You don’t have to agree with everything Alan says. The point of having comments is so we can have a discussion about the show. That’s why he always adds, “What did everyone else think?”

By: Wil

11.07.2016 @ 8:56 PM

I see what both you and Jeff are saying however in Jeff’s defense, it is a lot more fun and interesting to read a review when Alan likes something as much as I do. Either way his opinion is HIS opinion and lately they have differed greatly. Ever since he started praising My Crazy Ex Girlfriend which I found to be the most painful show to watch in my entire life, I have come to realize that me and Alan are just not going to agree with each other on a lot of things. At first I was annoyed but like you said “who cares if he doesn’t agree.

By: Grifter

11.07.2016 @ 9:37 PM

@Jef: Alright. Let me be clearer.

Your comment is a bit on the same vein as others I have seen here. I did not think that your comment (and yourself by extent), is a surrogate for a recent trend that has taken over some people.

My observation was made strictly by your own admission that you come here expecting that Alan will not love what you love. From that alone, what’s implied is that you come here, not necessarily for insight, but wanting to have your opinion matched and validated by Alan’s.
Furthermore, what precedes it seems to be disappointment and frustration when you allude to the “big pail of water”. Couple it all together and that’s a level of emotional investment on the opinion of a critic that makes no sense to me. Hence me asking “why”.

When I mention “high level” it pertains to the lengths people go to express said emotional investment being seemingly defrauded by Alan not giving anything less than a “100% awesomeness” review which ends up with them attacking Alan (at a personal level at times), instead of just engaging in a discussion, like adults.

You obviously didn’t do this (in fact your comment is innocuous especially when compared to the attacks I’ve seen), but your comment still shares that same baseline emotional component that leads others to go over the edge (acting almost as if it’s about life or death) if Alan’s opinion doesn’t match their own.

That’s all. Cheers!

By: alynch

11.07.2016 @ 3:26 AM

There was also one other pretty big hint regarding the “two timelines” theory. When Bernard logs into the older system in the basement, the computer is displaying the same alternative Westworld logo that we saw in William’s introductory scene in episode 2.

So yeah, I’m pretty much all in on that theory at this point.

By: Space Robot Five

11.08.2016 @ 2:42 AM

I mean, what’s the explanation for that if there aren’t multiple time periods?

By: Deorsum auod pons habitans auod insidiator

11.09.2016 @ 1:07 AM

To space robot five .Bad script writing?

By: Cypress

11.07.2016 @ 3:40 AM

Like Mr. Robot, this show suffers from a surfeit of confidence. We are now over the half-way point in the season and only Maeve’s story is past the beginning. The rest of the action is still shrouded in mystery and questions. And while it is still cool, it is becoming annoying. The show-runners seem so sure that we will be watching this show in three years, they have started story lines that won’t be resolved until then, maybe later. I’m not sure I have that dedication.

As to the fan theory, I thought when the Man in Black and Teddy rode near Pariah one of them said something about the town being blocked off because by soldiers. I assumed this meant that there was only one timeline and the soldiers were isolating the town because of the loss of Nitro last week. But I could very well be wrong.

By: MoS

11.07.2016 @ 3:48 AM

I think that might be misdirection. There can be many reasons why the soldiers would have blocked it off in the present timeline having nothing to do with what we saw last week

By: Robinson

11.07.2016 @ 4:05 AM

They definitely said “Something went down in Pariah,” which was the town from last week- which would make it a heck of a coincidence/misdirection.

Not saying it’s not true, just adding to the annoyance I’ll end up feeling in that case.

By: Grifter

11.07.2016 @ 5:14 AM

To add to that, the security chief also said Pariah was close to capacity.

Meaning that the hosts saying something went down in Pariah might just be a measure to move away guests because the place is packed.

By: garyc

11.07.2016 @ 12:01 PM

Seems like there is always something going down in some of the towns. Might just be another planned Westworld story.

By: Call Me Carlos the Dwarf

11.07.2016 @ 4:36 PM

I just rewatched episode 4, and Lawrence mentions his “friends in Pariah” to the MiB…so that’s a thing.

By: Ian

11.07.2016 @ 3:44 AM

With due resect to Alan, I thought this was an excellent hour of tv, with well done crescendo in tension. I just can’t relate to Alan’s impatience on the plot development. I agree that Elsie (is that her name or did I make that up?) going out on her own was kinda contrived, but I liked that it was very unclear whether it was Elsie or Bernard that was the one in danger.

I also found Maeve’s walk through the upper levels of the headquarters to be well done, with the actress doing an exceptional job of capturing the wonderment mixed with the tragic, disorienting realization that everything she’s known is a lie. I thought it was nicely and subtly captured on her face.

Not really sure what the point of the drunk guy ultimately was though. Or at least why he needed that much screentime to be the vehicle to introduce the new Delos exec.

Lastly, given the rules about hosts not killing guests, I’m sorta bemused by the amount of blunt force trauma they’re apparently allowed to inflict (such as on the Man in Black tonight). Contra to movies, a human cannot take a heavy strike to the head and jaw without taking some pretty serious damage…

By: Frank

11.07.2016 @ 4:12 AM

In an earlier episode, we learned that the guests get to choose how much pain they are willing to abide. Since the MiB’s stated objective is to find a storyline featuring real violence, I think we can assume that he’s playing Wesworld on survival mode. I agree with your overall point, though, and think that you probably just have to suspend your disbelief a little bit, since it seems like it would be awfully tricky for the hosts to calculate exactly how much of a beating a guest could take before suffering permanent injuries.

By: MoS

11.07.2016 @ 3:45 AM

Just wanted to say that I respect and understand Alan’s pov here. I don’t agree with it but I definitely see why someone would feel that the show is not living up to its potential. Personally, I think it’s important to see where the show takes us this season before judging it. With just 4 episodes left I think it can still go either way. It can be amazing or it can be really disappointing

By: RJ

11.07.2016 @ 5:42 AM

They’d have to do something really ridiculous to make this a disappointment for me. I’ve really enjoyed this show.

By: berkowit28

11.07.2016 @ 3:59 AM

“Does anyone, at this stage, care about tensions between the different divisions in charge of running the park? About why Theresa is performing industrial espionage on her own company? Or, for that matter, about the status or true nature of her relationship with Bernard.”

Yes. Yes. Yes. Especially the second Yes.

By: Grifter

11.07.2016 @ 5:16 AM

Not me. I don’t dislike the characters, but those specific things have been so far, of very little interest to me.

By: AT

11.07.2016 @ 4:01 AM

My problem is every time there is action in the park, I am not invested, so Teddy mowed everybody down, who cares? They are all robots. Then you go back to the corporate stuff and it is just bad to me. The only moment that got me really today was when Maeve asked the workers how they knew they weren’t robots. That is a good question, how do they know.

Otherwise I am with Alan. Great potential, but so far I only am seeing a glossy sheen.

By: Frank

11.07.2016 @ 4:51 AM

I’ve seen this general point articulated elsewhere, and even though I think the reasoning behind it is valid, it hasn’t really detracted from my enjoyment of the show. Whether they expire or resurrect, I have no attachment to the anonymous soldiers Teddy massacres. The scene is about the lengths Teddy will go to, and as far as Teddy knows, he is actually murdering everyone who stands in his way. As the Man in Black says, “You think you know someone…”

Andy Greenwald says – and I’m paraphrasing, here – that he can’t relate to the host characters any more than he can relate to a car. It’s understandable that someone would feel that way, and it seems to be one of the questions at the heart of the show. In “The Adversary” there’s a conversation about what distinguishes the hosts from the humans. Oh, well, you’re like a human, but your attributes – empathy, loyalty, athleticism, intelligence – were preprogrammed. The rest is minor improvisation. But that could just as well describe a human being. Do we really get to decide our range of empathy and intelligence? Whether we are athletic? Don’t we also get stuck in repetitive cycles, in spite of our vague awareness that we might be stuck in a cycle whose origins precede us? Are we any less mechanical – programmed – than the hosts?

When a show gets me thinking about stuff like that, it’s easy for me to see beyond the glossy sheen of high production values and recognizable actors.

By: Protestant Whiskey

11.08.2016 @ 3:46 PM

I agree, @FRANK. It’s about how Teddy has changed, to the point where even the MiB is surprised. Of course, we’re not sure if this is a function of the same thing afflicting Delores or Maeve, the new storyline/backstory Ford uploaded, or what. But it’s about Teddy’s change, and the change in the status quo. I find it pretty interesting.

By: Gary

11.07.2016 @ 4:07 AM

I actually am more interested in the intrigue going on “outside” the park than the storylines (Dolores, Man in Black) going on inside, so I really enjoyed this episode.

By: Richard

11.07.2016 @ 4:13 AM

It’s strange to me how polarized you and me are on these reviews. Pretty much every other show I’ve watched that you’ve reviewed has been on point and this one is exactly the opposite.

I’m reading the theories and wondering what is going on but knowing them hasn’t taken away my enjoyment during each hour.

Your points are completely valid, it’s just strange being so different when I’ve been on the same page in the past. The reasons you state as being off-putting as far as it being a modern show are sort of the reasons I like it. I like thinking I know something that the show is going to do and finding out if I’m right or not, or at least finding out how I’m wrong (or right).

By: Josh

11.07.2016 @ 4:18 AM

According to Alan’s reviews Pitch this week was a great episode and Westworld was just ok. I can’t be the only one noticing how ridiculous his reviews have been lately

By: sepinwall

11.07.2016 @ 2:22 PM

I didn’t review the latest episode of Pitch.

By: POCHO MARTINEZ

11.07.2016 @ 4:19 AM

Boring as hell

By: rkd2999

11.07.2016 @ 4:25 AM

“That’s the spirit!” — Logan said it to William in Chestnut, and again in Contrapasso, and someone else said it this week. Why the repetition? Anyway, it reminds me of Roy Batty saying it in Blade Runner.

By: M

11.07.2016 @ 4:26 AM

As to guests hanging out at the resort outside the park, if you go to the Discover Westworld site, you can “book” a visit there and choose from a number of different options as to stay and level of involvement. You are required to spend at least a week at the resort after your Westworld experience to “decompress.” So that is most likely why the majority of guests around the pool or at the bar in the home base resort are there instead of in the park itself. It’s a fun site to play around on.

By: Dan

11.07.2016 @ 4:29 AM

Isn’t the old bartender host that Ford hangs out with very cheeky jerky and very obviously different than the new models?

By: Frank

11.07.2016 @ 4:59 AM

Yes, and I think we’re meant to understand that there have been more than two evolutions of the technology. First, the jerky animatronic version. Then, the version we see in Arnold’s recreation of Ford’s family. Finally, the flesh and blood version that MiB refers to.

By: HISLOCAL

11.07.2016 @ 3:24 PM

So, the bartender was the original type of robot, young Ford is the apex of what was capable using robots, but now they use 3D printed flesh and bone, because it’s cheaper and easier to repair each night. I guess that all holds together.

By: Alex

11.07.2016 @ 5:11 AM

I didn’t understand the whole sequence with Maeve. What was she blackmailing them with? Why did Felix feel compelled to show her the upper levels of the robot development area? Why couldn’t the other guy just “turn her off” or put her in sleep mode or something. Confused!

By: Grifter

11.07.2016 @ 6:20 AM

You’re right that Felix agreed too easily with the stroll around the upper levels and that the other “butcher” despite becoming agreeable with Maeve after she threatened him with a scalpel could have easily shut her down in various other opportunities, or even instead of raising her attributes to just her turn her weak, dumb and generally incapacitate her.

However, keep in mind that they now know that she keeps waking up, and they don’t know how to fix it. If they report it, it’ll likely be discovered that she has waken up before and their asses are then on the line if that gets found out. So they’re a bit in a of a survival mode, not thinking clearly and just digging themselves deeper.

At the same time, I guess they (people behind the show) cut those corners to showcase Maeve’s (tremendous work from Thandie Newton) further realization of the circumstances of her “existence”, which was the real highlight of the ep.

By: lelisa13p

11.07.2016 @ 6:31 AM

Maeve apparently has somehow overcome the “knockout” condition and awakens at unscheduled (and inconvenient) times, like on the med table, on repeated occasions.

One source for blackmail was that Sylvester had been pimping out the hosts when they were in for repairs (probably after they’d been fixed but before they’d been shipped out again, otherwise, gross) to other employees for sexual purposes. As she said to Sylvester, she’s an “entrepreneur” and knows another one when she sees it. Felix had obtained a programming tablet and once Maeve understood that he had broken a major rule, that was her leverage over him. She is pretty much out of control at this point and now that she’s had her intelligence tweaked, they’d all better watch out.

By: Col Bat Guano

11.07.2016 @ 7:28 AM

So, they can’t just turn her off and stick her in the cold robot storage facility?

By: Arben

11.07.2016 @ 8:00 AM

What Grifter said. Tho’ I was fully prepared for them to drop her “bulk apperception” down to zero rather than bump it all the way up, if only to buy themselves some time.

By: HISLOCAL

11.07.2016 @ 3:28 PM

Their actions make sense as two guys scared of having their past mistakes found out, and making dumb decisions because of it. Thinking about all the dumb stuff people do in real life every day, it’s not exactly unrealistic.

By: anon.z.moose

11.07.2016 @ 11:19 PM

Thought along the same lines. Couldn’t he have with great alacrity made Maeve as dumb and imperceptive as Clippy the paperclip? Or at least if they’d had him try and then her outwit him and realize how to do it for herself … much more satisfying. Or is there some motivational gain other than being fired, sued or killed by a sexy robot that I’m missing here?

By: garyc

11.08.2016 @ 3:53 AM

Fear that she would be revived as she is an important investment. And once awakened, who knows what she might say. Even if they drop her intelligence to the lowest possible level, another technician could raise it again.

By: Grifter

11.07.2016 @ 5:24 AM

Here’s a thought.

If take it literally that the man at the center of the maze has died many times, couldn’t he possibly be a host?

Perhaps Ford’s very first creation, to whom he gave autonomy, until he gained conscience of what he really was and decided to destroy it all to prevent all the horror at the park from continuing.

Given that we learned on this ep that the hosts have far more processing power than that of a human brain, I can see how Ford would enjoy the company as smart, or smarter than him, that could also help him build the park

It also explains why there is so little information about Arnold. He had no past before Ford made him.

By: Grifter

11.07.2016 @ 5:26 AM

If we*

enjoy company*

Really want a edit button on comments.

By: Frank

11.07.2016 @ 5:40 AM

I think some version of that makes sense. Last episode, Logan says to William that there is no info on Ford’s partner, not even a picture. Which makes no sense, but if Ford created his partner, it’s easy to see how his identity could have been kept secret.

By: Grifter

11.07.2016 @ 6:03 AM

@Frank: Agreed.

Not saying it’s exactly how I wrote it, especially in the reasons behind creating Arnold and what led him to want to destroy the park…but it sure seems to fit like a glove regarding the no info area.

By: The Cisco Kid

11.07.2016 @ 6:49 AM

The picture that Ford showed Bernard of himself and Arnold… Arnold was identical to the host who played his father in that Ford family of hosts.

So either that pic is doctored and we have no idea what Arnold really looks like, or Arnold is a host that was designed to look like his father. Either way, paging Dr. Freud.

By: Arben

11.07.2016 @ 8:04 AM

Yeah, I thought his dad was Arnold too. We pretty clearly saw Ford show Bernard a photo of him with Arnold, so I don’t get why folks have been saying we’ve never seen him (and that he could look like anyone) since that very episode. Until now it’s just been that I wonder that vs. now wondering about the likenesses and presumptive connection.

By: Grifter

11.07.2016 @ 10:59 AM

@Cisco Kid: Yup. Or it could be that Ford lied to Bernard, simply showing him a photo of himself and his dad and not of him and Arnold.

Things are still so ambiguous on this show that it could all go in various directions.

By: The Cisco Kid

11.08.2016 @ 4:15 AM

His father was the same age when he was 8 and when he was a grown man? Does that make sense? It’s the identical guy, but the “Robert” in the house and the Robert in the photo have at least 20 years between them in age. So the photo could be doctored (but why bother? Why not just have some random pic instead of one with your dad to pass off as Arnold?) or Arnold is a host that he made to look like his father. If it’s just a photo of his dad, why flash it to Bernard at all? There was no need for him to show a pic. No one has seen Arnold, so he wasn’t required to involve that photo.

I strongly think there’s a connection between Ford, that “father host,” and Arnold. Maybe Arnold is his ideal father in host form, and the one in the house is more real– the drinking, the violence?

Loads of airtime were spent setting up the “There’s someone in the room!” trope as Elsie took forever dicking around with the stupid transmitter, all culminating in the expected whack in the head. If you’re gonna telegraph and telegraph, then pay off with something INTERESTING, for god’s sake! You’re HB frickin’ O! This is 2016!

Speaking of telegraphing, “duh” re: flirty bikini chick turning out to be high-level management. Do the creators of this show assume we’re all entertainment virgins? That was a hoary move back when Yul Brynner still had hair!

Worst of all: Maeve and the dumbells. The show’s worked overtime to demonstrate what complete idiots the two technicians are, and now we understand why. Some weak fast-talking from Maeve was all that was necessary to make them think it’d be a good idea to shoot a maverick, ever-startling robot’s intelligence up to 11? Seriously? That’s just 1952 B-movie victim level stupidity. Don’t cultivate pretenses of realism, then go all comic book when it’s time to start your major plot turn!

I don’t feel respected as a viewer. And I feel suffocated by the damned mythology. Do they truly think we care THIS much about the damned maze? (BTW, Man in Black must be an idiot to have gone to the trouble of scalping that dude to get the precious maze map when the damn image is absolutely everywhere (I guess we’re supposed to be startled by each of the dozen or so slow reveals. HOLY SHIT….IT’S THE MAZE MAP AGAIN!!!!”

Finally, why on earth would we give a hoot about yet another stupid “corporation machinations” potboiler when they’ve got a cast, a landscape, and a premise like this? Seriously, they can’t find enough plot amid a massive $15K/day virtual playground with semi-sentient robots? What’s next, they introduce a frontier hospital so they can throw in some medical procedural action, to boot?

By: The Cisco Kid

11.07.2016 @ 6:52 AM

The map is not everywhere. It’s only in Pariah, where MiB exclaimed that he’d never been to before, despite 30 years of visits, until he forced Lawrence to take him there. Presumably the Natives know about it, which is why MiB scalped the Native pianist. He’s probably seen it before on one of his scalping expeditions, questioned his Native host compadres, and then got confirmation.

By: Jimmbo

11.07.2016 @ 2:40 PM

1. Maze map has been seen several times outside Pariah. The union soldiers tried to brand Teddy with it, and I believe it turned up in Elsie’s dicking-around-while-someone-is-in-the-room scene. I think I remember one other as well.

2. Do not believe he never got to Pariah in 30 years. Park’s not that big, and there are very few towns (see map on their web site) and this is a competent, contrarian sort of dude who wasn’t blithely spending the three decades worth of visits playing poker or going along with all the cutesy narrative shticks.

By: madmeme

11.07.2016 @ 3:18 PM

First-gen robots indeed. Instead of the hard-to-swallow idea of having idiotic technicians follow Maeve’s every command, why not have her figure out how to change her attributes herself? But that would require more nuance, more skill, more set-up – and much less time the writers could waste on rolling or dragging out “mysteries” and introducing more side plots.

By: Grifter

11.07.2016 @ 4:19 PM

@Cisco Kid: I think you might be confusing the small town Lawrence’s family lives in with Pariah.

By: Rajendra Gondhalekar

11.07.2016 @ 5:54 AM

It’s not just the looks of the hosts, it’s the fact that they bleed. And there are many continuities between the Wyatt-Teddy and Dolores-William story lines that fall apart if they are temporally separated. A small example is when Dolores talks to William about her father, she chokes up, because she knows he is dead. That only happens when Bernard gives her a choice to erase her memory of the events, but she refuses. During this choice conversation, she tells Bernard, she killed one of her attackers, which she did remembering the MiB. This only happens when Teddy tries to teach her to shoot a gun. Shortly after which he is asked to go on a hunt for Wyatt. During which he is captured, and hung on the tree, and found by none other than the MiB. Fit all this in your multiple timelines and old logos of the park.

By: madmeme

11.07.2016 @ 3:07 PM

“It’s not just the looks of the hosts, it’s the fact that they bleed.”

Yes, yes, yes. Why is it so difficult for viewers (and Alan) to grasp this? Mechanical androids are *not* filled with blood. If you stick a knife through the hand of a drunken mechanical android, it wouldn’t leak a pint of blood-substitute onto the tablecloth. If a mechanical android was shot, little bits of metal and plastic (and not bloody tissue) would be sprayed everywhere.

For this William=MiB theory to be correct, there are either intentionally misleading and/or incredibly lazy major-continuity errors in the production design and/or writing.

By: HISLOCAL

11.07.2016 @ 3:38 PM

The robots clearly have realistic skin, so it’s not so crazy to think that they would put some arteries in there to squirt blood when they’re killed….that’s something I used to do with G.I. Joes when I was 8 years old, I’m sure they would have thought of that.

That being said, I’m not 100% sold on the two timelines, but not dismissing it either. I think they’re playing with our expectations.

By: madmeme

11.07.2016 @ 4:24 PM

@HisLocal – Sorry, regardless of what you did with your G.I.Joes, I don’t buy it for a second. We’ve seen both the making and insides of the early androids, and there are neither “arteries” inside the skin, nor any sign of “blood-storage”.

In the following image, it’s impossible to look at the first 3 stills (of the +30-year old androids) and realistically believe all of the blood in the 4th still is coming from one of them:

I’m not discounting the idea that the William/Logan story is from an earlier time in the history of the park, but if William is really supposed to be the MiB, there are (intentionally or not) misleading errors in the show.

By: nixnutz

11.07.2016 @ 5:51 PM

I think this thread does a great job illustrating the split in opinion on this show. If having this kind of argument, investigating stills on your own time, and getting invested enough to be a dick to strangers who don’t agree with your conclusions, adds to your enjoyment of a TV show, this is a great show. For me, and for a lot of people, this kind of bullshit is a waste of time at best. There are some terrific actors here and great photography, I’ll stick with it but this kind of meta-mysterious storytelling is profoundly boring to me.

Now of course, J.J. Abrams is involved so I have only myself to blame, if this show had any other title I would have just ignored it. I’m glad to watch though; Wood, Newton, Wright, Knudson and Woodward have all been very good and Tessa Thompson looks promising. That and the setting is more than my money’s worth.

By: madmeme

11.07.2016 @ 6:28 PM

If, by “investigating stills”, you mean remembering what’s been presented on screen in previous episodes and reposting images from elsewhere, I suppose my “investment” is larger than yours.

OTOH, if, by being a “dick”, you mean calling other people names (as opposed to just disagreeing with opinions), then you’re way ahead of me in that department.

In any case, your claim that “this kind of bullshit is a waste of time at best” is contradicted by the fact that you bothered to write and post at all. But I suppose you did it while being profoundly bored.

By: Minion 1

11.09.2016 @ 12:54 AM

To madmemme.I am bored with you ,your a total knowitall gobshite.

By: madmeme

11.09.2016 @ 2:11 AM

@Minnow 1: True. Plus I can spell. Also, I don’t write posts to tell other people I’m bored.

By: David

11.07.2016 @ 6:19 AM

The purpose of the Mesa Bar is to decompress and get ready to return to the real world. If you check the Westworld website, they describe it as just that.

By: MadMensch

11.07.2016 @ 7:30 AM

I value your critical opinion Alan, but I think you should probably quit reviewing this show. You said yourself after watching the screeners that you might bail on it and your frustration is evident in every review. It’s not fun or particularly insightful to read the grumpiness as you slog through it and it seems like your talents and time would be better used on a show you enjoy reviewing.

By: HISLOCAL

11.07.2016 @ 3:39 PM

Yeah but then where do we go to discuss it?

By: Lbsammills51

11.07.2016 @ 7:40 AM

It’s funny (to me), I’m still enjoying the show and apparently getting more out of it than Alan…but there is a “but.” The Maeve stuff was phenomenal, and if this keeps up Thandie Newton should garner awards noms for this. I’m also interested by what is going on with Theresa, Ford, and what did or didn’t happen to Arnold.

That doesn’t mean the show doesn’t have issues that bug me.

– The “two timelines” theory is something I find irritating rather than intriguing and wish we’d just cut to the chase if that’s what’s going on. It also undercuts what’s going on with Dolores for me.
– I’ve lost track of what is the point of what the Man in Black is doing and how it relates to Wyatt (something about the lady’s tattoo from earlier, and something-something maze) and I’m not sure I care.
– I get Andy Greenwald’s critique that it’s hard to care about what’s going on with the Hosts (aside from Maeve, and I guess Dolores) when they’re pre-programmed automatons. I feel sorry for them, especially if we’re meant to question whether they’re really “just” robots. Yet Dolores is ostensibly the main character, and as great as Evan Rachel Wood has been, I didn’t really miss not checking in on her this week. That doesn’t seem like a good thing long-term for the show.
– If anything, I’m more interested in what’s going on outside of the park, but the mystery box way of doing things (hi JJ) concerns me, because it hinges a lot on the results being as intriguing as the question.
– I love Shannon Woodward as Elsie and am not prepared to say goodbye to her already…but if what she’s discovered is as serious as it seems, you’re saying goodbye to one of the most interesting characters on the show so soon (in a cliched 24ish way), or you’re contorting things so much for her to live that it’s cartoonish and I don’t want my favorite character tainted by plot acrobatics.

Despite all that, a show that’s able to hit that high of Maeve walking through the complex, leveraging both techs, and potentially watching her gain independence (if the hosts’ brains have greater processing power than us, and she’s Dr. Doom-level smart now, could she figure out a way to gain & keep autonomy?) is a show I enjoy watching and can continue enjoying if it hits highs like that. I am watching with more hesitation, but I’m nowhere near checking out.

By: Arben

11.07.2016 @ 8:11 AM

Wow. Nailed my feelings almost exactly. For what it’s worth, too (not that you say as much above but others have), I still look forward to Alan’s thoughts each week — and share aspects of his concerns, but would even if that weren’t the case.

By: GoneKurtz

11.07.2016 @ 2:09 PM

I may get off the train at this stop. Way, way east of Westworld.

I can suspend my disbelief for plenty of SF shows.

But I just can’t for a show featuring a dream park with mind-blowing surveillance technology in nearly every section of it.

Except for the section where they really need to know just WTF is going on. In the laboratories where the build and maintain the robots.

NO SECURITY CAMERAS AT ALL.

By: Grifter

11.07.2016 @ 4:25 PM

Last episode it was shown that there are cameras in the labs/repairs areas, with the necro-sex butcher guy footage.

It might just be that the focus is on the guests and not so much on certain labs, until crap happens.

By: GoneKurtz

11.08.2016 @ 1:53 PM

Yeah, well, if one of the robots going rogue with a scalpel on a lab workers neck is not the definition of “crap happens” then the Westworld train has just plunged off the cliff of plausibility.

By: Captain Spaulding

11.09.2016 @ 1:01 AM

As the lady said to John Holmes i do find it hard to swallow.

By: Eduardo Jencarelli

11.07.2016 @ 2:32 PM

“an absurdly stacked cast”

That’s the line HBO ought to use in their promos, in order to attract more viewers. Alan, you’re a genius!

By: Nathan Brazil

11.07.2016 @ 2:37 PM

Theory time.

Is it possible that Bernard is Arnold in host form with memories of his son etc. but none of the human memories of Arnold and that Arnold is alive in human form in the maze? I wouldn’t put it past Ford to have made a host Bernard just like Arnold made a human family version of Ford’s family.

By: Alex

11.07.2016 @ 2:37 PM

I fell asleep again watching this snoozer of a show last night. Westworld aspires to be a brilliant and clever show, but the reality is that the narrative is muddled and some of the acting (especially by the actors playing the techs) is just awful.

By: Alex

11.08.2016 @ 3:04 PM

Finished the episode last night. Man, is this a dreary show at times….

As Alan said, Ford only speaks in cryptic code seemingly for the purpose of pissing us off. Westworld either needs to be a show about theme and being weird and atmosphere, or it needs to focus on the story and go the GoT route that its sometimes emulating. Right now its neither.

By: Nathan Brazil

11.07.2016 @ 2:41 PM

Also Felix and Sylvester…. HILARIOUS. I wonder how many remember they are both cat cartoons. Felix was the inventive creative magical sort but Sylvester was, as everyone knows, a complete idiot.

By: keith

11.07.2016 @ 3:05 PM

Still better than Dollhouse.

By: Jon Delfin

11.07.2016 @ 3:27 PM

Never paid attention to two characters’ names until you paired them. Do Sylvester and Felix report to their supervisor Garfield?

By: GS

11.07.2016 @ 4:04 PM

No, it’s Fritz.

By: srpad

11.07.2016 @ 3:34 PM

Your point about the wasted potential of what they can do is interesting and reminds me, of all things, the book Ready Player One. In the book you had a world where you could literally create anything and all people used it for was to recreate their favorite movies and video games. Really disappointing.

By: HISLOCAL

11.07.2016 @ 3:42 PM

And that one old lady who only logged into the OASIS to go to virtual church.

By: jakrchris

11.07.2016 @ 3:50 PM

I think the arc of the hosts has the potential to be one of the most fascinating in modern TV

By: mshatzer

11.07.2016 @ 4:17 PM

Thandie Newton was fantastic in this episode, and I think it should put her in contention for supporting actress nominations. Her facial acting while talking with the technicians and walking through the facility was superb.

I’m with Alan completely on the frustration of the Delos employees’ scenes. If this show was just about Maeve/Dolores/Teddy becoming sentient and Ed Harris’ quest to solve the maze, I think it would be the best show on television. Its all the other BS that holds it back, especially the politics surrounding the Delos people. I couldn’t care less about Theresa or Sizemore, and the show hasn’t given me a reason yet to care why or how or who is transmitting data outside the facility. I’m sure that’s supposed to be important, but I don’t know why, and every minute of screen time trying to solve it is one less minute of Newton and Harris.

Still, this was my favorite episode so far because it spotlighted Maeve and put the focus on just a few aspects of the show rather than sprawling the storyline in different time periods with too many actors who look too similar. This episode makes me think that future seasons of the show will be even better once some of the initial stories are resolved.

By: Arben

11.08.2016 @ 8:48 AM

I don’t enjoy spending time with the prick head writer, but I like certain glimpses behind the curtain and we’ve already seen aspects of the Delos intrigue dovetailing with the hosts’ idiosyncrasies to an extent and I assume there will be more tying the Man in Black’s search, the hosts going rogue/sentient, and the company politics together.

By: Arben

11.08.2016 @ 8:49 AM

The second “and” should be a “so”. Run-on sentences are my bane. Sorry.

By: Chuck

11.07.2016 @ 4:19 PM

I think I’m done with this show. There are no stakes involved. The guests have no risk in their actions. The robots have no risk in their actions either. Even Maeve now understands that she needs to “die” to get any answers.

I’m not invested in any of the characters because, really, nothing can happen to them.

By: Baruch

11.07.2016 @ 4:33 PM

Herein Sepinwall jumps the shark.

By: Baruch

11.07.2016 @ 4:34 PM

Herein Sepinwall jumps the shark.

By: Arrow

11.07.2016 @ 5:11 PM

I don’t think I’ll watch the show past this season. I’m not exactly hate-watching it but I stay more for a sense of completion than because of an interest in the story. You need to have a suspension of disbelief to enjoy any sci-fi but with Westworld, I just can’t.

What bugged me this week is the seemingly infinite size of the park. It feels as if it must be almost as big as a state… and the complex underneath has to be almost as large since there seems to be an elevator going up to any section in the park.

By: JEFF P.

11.07.2016 @ 7:50 PM

Slogging through this visually stunning but frustratingly self-important show only makes me appreciate the airtight brilliance of Breaking Bad even more.

By: tps5352

11.08.2016 @ 12:30 AM

I am, so far, still greatly enjoying Westworld, although without purposely checking on who directed and/or wrote Episode 6, “The Adversary,” I perhaps did not find it quite as artistically satisfying as some of the previous hours. As with some other commenters, I find the Sizemore character just flat out annoying, and I am less invested in Cullen, also. In general I can certainly understand and relate to many/most of the criticisms and comments, positive and negative, about the Episode, including those by Mr. Sepinwall himself.

A quick scan of (the currently 92) comments appears to show many viewers in roughly two camps: those that love (for example) the grandeur, scale, and mystery of the unfolding story(ies) versus those fans tiring of that very secrecy, the arguably slow or repetitive initial development, certain back stories, and/or various individual plot elements (e.g., corporate espionage, etc.). As Allan has identified in other shows, sometimes fan-criticized elements early in a year are skillfully melded together in a meaningfully way by the end (of a season), and thereby prove necessary in a way not anticipated to the value of the long-range story. And sometimes not. As others have already alluded to, “Westworld” the fictional park and its story may (intentionally) be a metaphor for “Westworld” the television show and the entertainment industry that effects and even controls it.

Regardless; fan disagreement will always be the nature of art and criticism, correct? Is there any artwork, anywhere, that 100% of people like? I mean, think of that pretentious “Mona Lisa” painting, obnoxious “Yesterday” song, or overrated “Casablanca” movie. Hard to believe that some people actually like those things, right? But there you go—no accounting for taste. (Facetious sarcasm intended.)

So, to be serious again, what do I like about WW so far?

1. Sometimes great, often courageous, and/or appropriately subtle performances by some of the leading and secondary actors.

Standouts for me include Evan Rachel Wood (who I knew nothing about as an actress), Thandie Newton (who I have enjoyed in several past productions—more about her below), Jeffrey Wright (whose character was so realistically evil in “Boardwalk Empire” and is, thus far, so mature and decent in this), and Louis Herthum (who really held his own, and then some, in his brief but chilling scene with Anthony Hopkins in Episode 1).

2. Fun aspects.

– Shannon Woodward’s character Elsie is so much fun. What a high-energy pistol (no pun intended). She was so cute in “Raising Hope” and I’m glad to see her back on the small (for me, computer) screen in this. Her character may be more relatable to viewers than many, probably by intention. I only hope Elsie survives and thrives in what is to come. (Spoiler: She is listed for all 10 first-season episodes, but that may not mean anything.)

– The dimly-seen Yul Brynner-like Man in Black figure, presumably an old host or prototype abandoned on restricted Floor B82, and certain sound effects in the same dimly-lit and spooky scene were amusing call-outs to the original 1973 WW movie and to another menacing android flick, 1984’s “The Terminator.” Little details like this, if used judiciously, can inject some needed fun into an otherwise serious and intellectually-demanding production. (Nothing new. Shakespeare of course used humor to occasionally lighten the mood in his tragedies.) By the way, is it possible that some form of the host uprising, from the original movie, will somehow form part of the back-story of the Park (e.g., the “critical failure” from over 30 years ago referred to by Bernard in Episode 1; or play a critical part in Arnold’s “suicide”)?

– The always-marvelous Ed Harris, whose “Man in Black” character I am glad to see being fleshed out somewhat so that “Man in Grey” may eventually be a more appropriate figurative nickname.

– An obvious large-scale budget applied to casting, cinematography, and gadgetry. This can be a double-edged sword, of course, and is no guarantee of overall quality, but it is marvelous to see worthy productions on television raised to movie-like levels.

– Strong female characters. “I imagined a story where I didn’t have to be the damsel” (Episode 5). OMG! Please, PLEASE; let Dolores and Maeve grow and develop without inevitable punishment by the classically-male-dominated establishment.

3. As mentioned above, the courageousness of actors like Ms. Wood and particularly Ms. Newton.

Newton is today 44 years old; a mature, intelligent, clearly strong, beautiful, and fully adult actress. To see her willing to bare all, literally and figuratively, for her art is inspiring. I hope that it is not perceived as gratuitous.

4. The mysteries (and inevitable theories).

As stated above, there are two equally valid positions on this. Prompted primarily by the two-time-frame (young William vs. old MiB) theory, I took the time to re-watch and plot out the initial five episodes in detail. Few, if any, other shows could prompt that kind of interest by me, and I am sure many other fans.

Now, what the producers do with this initial level of viewer interest—well that is the question. Will the writing quality continue? Or will the little warning signs (e.g., Sizemore’s excessiveness or Elsie’s classic-horror-movie-victim stupidity) in “The Adversary” grow in frequency, until WW is just another sorry production aimed at the lowest common denominator? We’ll have to see.

But that said, Television unfortunately is and HAS to be about making a profit. That normally means selling ads and therefore appealing to as wide an audience as possible, balanced against the intellectual integrity of the writing.

We’ll see if Westworld can continue winding its way along a narrow path (the bane of so many other efforts) towards success—ultimately being allowed to produce the number of episodes needed to tell a full, artistically-complete and satisfying story—while retaining the smart viewers it has so far attracted.

By: Pete

11.08.2016 @ 1:23 AM

Allen i think your opinion of this show is way off base. Stop being such a critic and enjoy a decent story for once.

By: eddie_willers

11.08.2016 @ 11:28 PM

“Stop being such a critic”

LOL…are you telling him to quit his job?

By: Tom

11.09.2016 @ 12:38 PM

There’s a difference between expressing an opinion and implying that no-one else cares about certain plot points, Alan.

I really enjoyed this episode and I’m loving the show in general, but then again I’m watching to see the mysteries develop, not just to tick off the answers.

By: No One In Particular

11.09.2016 @ 6:09 PM

Write I really like this show, and while I really enjoy intelligent, well-written creative shows, it just seems that this show is one you have to concentrate too much on to really follow it. It seems I have to expend too much effort into watching it to really get it. And so far my effort is not being rewarded.

By: Ellen M.

11.09.2016 @ 9:16 PM

I will try to stick with this show to the end of the season then will have to evaluate whether I am interested in it at that point.

The story so far has been mostly over-engineered and overly-complicated. This has made it less and less compelling and I’m starting to lose interest in plot development and the characters.

There were important things that happened in this episode but because they were set up by lazy plot devices, I lost interest (Elsie being alone and attacked – duh; Maeve too easily making the techs her little-bitch-slaves; drunk writer guy hitting on the Delos board member. No more of this guy, please!).

By the time the episode ended, I was feeling impressed with part of it and really annoyed at the same time.

We need some answers at this point about Ford/Arnold and the Man in Black/Maze stories. I just don’t care about the Delos folks past their interactions with the Hosts. Whatever info the corporate mole is messing with better be very important to the main stories inside the park or I think I may not even last to the end of the season.